


Appateasing

by Penstrokes_and_Daydreams



Series: Eat Your Heart Out [2]
Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Comedy, Cult's still pretending to be nice at this point, Dialogue Heavy, Dubious Life Choices, F/M, Falling In Love, First Date, No Faith but she'll be here soon, or at least I think so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29816082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penstrokes_and_Daydreams/pseuds/Penstrokes_and_Daydreams
Summary: Rook goes on the date she agreed to. It's not the disaster she imagined. It's an entirely different one.Part of series but can be read as a one-shot.
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed
Series: Eat Your Heart Out [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2191773
Kudos: 11





	Appateasing

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to make this a short series. The food puns will continue, as will the secondhand embarrassment. All the OC's are supporting characters but I may bring them back if I feel the urge.  
> Side note: my deputy's name is Rooklyn Cassidy.

Pizza. Pizza was a good first date food. Burgers, at that little retro style diner, also a good pick. For that matter, burgers at the FANG Center would be better than this, even with the watery noises from that stupid animatronic echoing everywhere. The steakhouse was a bit much for the likes of them, probably, but was an option. And maybe this was a touch hypocritical of her, considering they met at a backyard party, but ‘church potlock’ was absolutely not a valid first date option in her book. Especially not when his church was a cult and when he hadn’t told her anything but how to get there. Again, a memo about bringing food would have been nice. There was an unhappy pattern developing. 

Rook sat in the car, staring at the compound gate in front of her. A couple of confused looking Peggies had passed carrying glass casserole dishes and plastic bowls by now, eyeballing her through the window. Any longer and somebody was going to check on her and she’d lose all the face she was trying to save. As long as nothing ventured into like, horror movie territory, things outta be fine, right? It wasn’t like they’d drug the food for the off chance of guests would eat it, Jonestown-ing themselves in the process. They were big on conversion and dead people did not good bunker buddies make.   
And hey, maybe they really were harmless. The department got complaints about preppers all the time: Dutch was trespassing on federal lands, one of the Whitetails had shot a deer illegally, some drunken weirdo was disturbing what passed for peace in the Spread Eagle by shouting about the government microchipping frogs. But that wasn’t the point. Jacob was rough around the edges and he seemed alright so far. They had a lot in common; they loved the outdoors, preferred life to be simple and straightforward, had similar hobbies. Over the course of the texts and a real phone call they’d had Rook had been getting the idea that maybe this wasn’t such a mistake at all. At least she had up until this.

She bit the bullet and got out of the car, smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress. It wasn’t her usual look- sort of a vintage retro polka dot thing she’d picked up from a sales rack in a little store out in Great Falls- but it was pretty and very comfy so she wore it to things like dates instead of the jeans and flannel or jeans and t-shirt or jeans and tank top or, well, the picture was clear. It also left her legs lots of room to run, which considering her taste in men might be a good thing. Not that it got much use; her last ‘date’ was just her and Staci faking an anniversary to get a free dessert while out of town at some conference on interviewing child witnesses of violent crime. Wow, she was way more nervous than she expected if that memory was surfacing. 

It wasn’t hard to find Jacob once she walked into the yard. He had a way of standing out, kind of like a black hole; he was a dark space party phenomena, absorbing fun from around him. Everyone else was smiling and talking, he was just scowling at the pot he’d set down. Maybe it wasn’t just her inner monologue that kept running away with itself. He didn’t seem to notice that she’d arrived, so she just waited, not quite willing to risk the walk to him yet. People started watching her watch him, though, which left her nowhere to hide in the little churchyard. So she started picking her way through the crowd to him, sticking out like a sore thumb. Peggies, it turned out, weren’t big on bright colours, apparently. Great, just great, they could be obvious together, her in her turquoise and pink and him in camouflage, right up there in the spotlight, just like she’d never wanted. She didn’t make it far.

John Seed caught her arm somewhere around the pasta salad- disgusting looking on a good day, but one chef had practically made a Halloween decoration- and dragged her out of the foot traffic. She recognized him from around Holland Valley and the station. They were… familiar with each other. One of his hobbies was coming to the station to act like he would press charges over anything that had even the slightest to do with a member of the Project. Once he’d threaten to sue for discrimination because she’d written him a ticket for parking illegally and hadn’t written the car parked there before one. Whitehorse spent half an hour explaining what a lunch break was before John had stormed off. He had his ‘courtroom face’ on now, too, she could tell; lawyers couldn’t help it. Cops couldn’t either, but she definitely didn’t have a cop face on. Hudson told her that came with experience and that her ‘hey genius that sign about bears breaking into cars wasn’t there for entertainment purposes’ face just didn’t cut it.

“What are you doing here, deputy?”

She just pointed to Jacob, not bothering with a verbal response that could be taken as a willingness to engage. John didn’t bother turning around to see. Jacob noticed, though, finally, but didn’t seem too invested in interfering. The jerk probably thought it was funny. Or maybe it was some kind of bizarre family hazing ritual. This never would have happened if they’d just gone for pizza.

“Do you have permission to be on the private property of a protected religious organization?”

Okay that was maybe a fair question. She tried not to take it personally, “I have an invitation. From Jacob.”

“Police harassment is something you really can’t afford on your record, Deputy, and I-“

“I’m really not here for the department, it’s just that Jacob invited me here so-“

It’s at that particular moment that the entire universe flipped and twisted and decked Rook square in the face. Joseph Seed- where had he even come from?- grabbed her hands, uncomfortably close, and smiled. He was in sunglasses but still made the effort for stare-you-down eye contact. She made a conscious effort not to wiggle away. Again, burgers or pizza would have been a fantastic and pasta salad, deranged brother free environment. They could have played air hockey instead of whatever the hell this game was.

“Jacob invited you? You came to us?” He sounded odd. She couldn’t imagine the man got many dates- or maybe he did, he was a cult leader-, but surely her presence wasn’t that suspicious.

“Yeah… Is that okay?”

Joseph seemed to gather himself up, shake off whatever was going on in his head, “Of course. All are welcome here; enjoy yourself, deputy.”

Then he wandered away like he was in a trance. Rook gave a little sideways glance to John who, judging by his expression, also thought the whole exchange was supremely weird. That wasn’t nearly as   
comforting as she’d imagined it would be.

“Will he be okay?”

“As if you care.”

“‘Bout what?” Finally, now that the drama is winding down, Jacob appeared. He stood right behind her and let both hands fall on her shoulders. There was… not a lot of distance between them. John   
scowled like it was paying his bills.

“Joseph seems a little,” She tried to think of a polite way of putting it, “Disturbed? Zoned out?”

Jacob squeezed her arms gently, “He’ll be fine. John’ll check on him, won’t you Johnny?”

Rook fought to keep a straight face at how obvious the youngest Seed’s efforts to not show how he hated being called that in front of her were. He gave her one final glare as he stormed off.

“I don’t think he likes me. Also, you didn’t tell me this was a potluck.”

“This is just about the only place in the county I know nobody’ll spit in my food. If I told you it was through the church you might not have come.”

“But I would have brought something if I knew. I can make biscuits from scratch.”

“You’re right, I should have told you. Another time?”

Rook laughed; it sounded like he was trying to be confident but the question still had an almost boyish cautiously hopeful undertone. She turned in his arms and patted his chest.

“Maybe for breakfast one day.”

“Breakfast, huh? Cheeky.”

“I just meant-“

Jacob winked. It felt a little bit like getting punched in the gut except maybe in a good way. Being next to him again in the flesh was an experience in its own right. He might not have the enigmatic presence of Joseph or the raw sex appeal of John, but there was a certain weight to Jacob, a sense of power. Right now Rook was reminded of how small he made her feel, she just didn’t know if it made her feel more like she was protected or prey. 

“Are you hungry?”

People had indeed started milling towards the food, loading up plates and finding seats at the long tables. She nodded, and Jacob stepped just barely aware to walk with her; after a moment of hesitation she reached out and linked two of her fingers into two of his and he allowed it. More than a few people noticed. That probably wouldn't have been different anywhere else all things considered. Her status as fairly new to the county but not a cultist made her a bit of a gossip magnet. Of course once anybody other than her friends found out about this she’d be demoted to cultist whether she wanted religion or not.

Thankfully Jacob’s path cut clear around the vicinity as the pasta salad. Unfortunately, their seats were near the head of the first table. Rook’s gut wavered slightly at the prospect of an entire meal around the family. Joseph sat on the end, John and some stranger on the other side from where Jacob led her. The woman smiled.

“Faith sends her regards to you all, but she’s still got her stomach bug.”

Joseph looked up from pushing his baked beans around on the plate, “This is Charity, who wrote the songs you hear on our radio station.”

“Oh! You did a great job; I’ve driven Staci nuts before listening. You just be very proud.”

“Not at all! Quite the opposite, I’m humbled to have the opportunity to reach others.”

It wasn’t lost on Rook how fast the woman spoke or how she seemed to move away from John. Pride was a sin, and he was the Peggy Inquisitor. Still, it was worth noting for the file, just in case.

“What’s your favorite?” Charity rallied.

“Do I have to say Set Those Sinners free?”

Jacob snorted around whatever kind of sandwich he was eating, “No.”

“But I want to be supportive.”

Her teasing earned her an easygoing glare, “Do it somewhere else.”

“I can’t believe you’re rejecting my flattery.”

“I never asked for it.”

“You don’t have to, I’m a very generous person.”

He shoved a spoon into her hand, “Shut up and eat.”

Rook’s grin died after she had her first bite of his chili, not because of the taste but because of the fact she realized everyone was staring. Charity’s eyes were so wide it was like she’d turned water into   
wine, John’s mouth was hanging open, and Joseph had a strange, self-satisfied expression on his face. Her date just kept at his sandwich and fries, unbothered by the attention. 

“Ya’ll are gonna catch flies with your mouths hanging open.”

Everyone made a show of moving back to their food, but Rook stayed braced for the questions that would start, and start they did.

“So, Deputy, this is the second time I’ve seen you show up at an event without food. Seems… greedy.”

“Nobody told me either time; your brother just cheated you out of some pretty darn good baking.”

“You sound very proud.”

“My grandmother taught me so I’ve always enjoyed it, and it’s very relaxing.”

“There can be a fine line between relaxation and sloth.”

Before she could open her mouth to ask what the hell this weird line of questions was supposed to prove Jacob came to her defence.

“That’s enough, Johnny.”

The younger man scowled for a second before correcting his expression, “It’s fine. I heard what I wanted to anyway.”

“Hmm, and love covers a multitude of sins. What brought you to Montana, Deputy?”

“The parks; I was a Ranger before and I wanted to transfer to the Whitetails but they had closed the position by the time I got here so I wound up in law enforcement while I wait. I’ve worked in all sorts of   
mountain ranges, I love them.”

Joseph hummed again as if imparted with instant understanding, “You came seeking peace and instead found violence and hate. We came fleeing violence and hate and found peace. But perhaps you’ll yet find it too.”

What had, however briefly, been okay was now quickly becoming off-putting. She felt like she’d been cornered into an outdated comedy skit about pushy psychiatrists. Something must have shown on her face because the other woman at the table kindly came to her rescue.

“I heard the mayor is campaigning to get some of the county’s side roads paved.”

“I think it’s an issue on the ballot this November.”

Jacob snorted, “Last thing this world needs is more concrete and asphalt.”

“One of the EMTS told us there have been fatalities because they couldn’t reach people. And there’s some kind of weird overdoses they’ve seen a lot of lately.”

“If they’re too weak to make it alone they should move to town.”

Rook rolled her eyes, “You’re so dramatic.”

She believed what she said, too, but when she watched him out of the corner of her eye she felt something in her soften at the thought maybe he’d let her in one day, drop the act he kept up for others.   
She’d like that. The compelling feeling she’d had about him since the barbeque wasn’t wearing off. It was a terrifying thought for a first date, but she felt comfortable with him, like eating together and bickering was old hat. Joey was right, the drunk who’d punched her in the Spread Eagle really had scrambled her brain. Mr. Wright had felt awful about it once he sobered up, and he still promised her discounts at his store, but he sold feed and farm supplies, so she never really took him up on it.

The meal was winding down. People were starting to abandon their plates to either trash cans or dish tubs, the kids had set up their next game of kickball, and a handful of women had pulled out knitting. Rook’s grandmother had tried to teach her once, as a way to help her keep seated as long as her hands were moving, but she’d never caught on. She watched in between bites of her cake, a little mesmerized by one woman’s speed even while she was leaned over explaining something to someone else. Joseph noticed her attention.

“Do you knit?”

“I’m a lot more sporty than crafty.”

“Some are. We make use of everyone’s talents, here. No one is without a place.”

She hummed and smiled, polite and nothing more. Conversion to a doomsday cult was not on her todo list. Nor was it normally part of a first date. But if there was a second, a fourth, a seventeenth… Jacob had finished eating and was just glaring at the grain of the picnic table so she nudged his arm.

“Lets go walk.”

He complied and took her plate to boot when they stood. The church was on a hill, so the view was fantastic. Apparently they’d started moving to a larger facility, a compound on an island down in the   
lake. And of course they had a church in Fall’s End now too. She’d been very careful not to ask questions during that conversation so she didn’t set off John again. Rook was a little surprised he wasn’t following them or something.

They were just walking and talking about random things, mostly about predictions for the season’s forest fires and some of the weirder things she’d been called out to the Whitetails to investigate. Once she’d been on patrol and found a man gutting what was obviously roadkill in a ditch beside his food truck. She’d called the health inspector afterwards and had been taking her own lunch every patrol out there since. 

Before her date could answer, a lanky teenage boy with a kilowatt smile ran up.

“Brother Jacob!” He stopped short when he saw her, hesitating before settling on, “Ma’am. Good afternoon.”

“Afternoon, Pete. This is Deputy Cassidy.”

She extended a hand, “Nice to meet you.”

He shook her hand with a confident grip, but still looked a little nervous. As soon as he had completed what was courteous with her, he grinned back up at Jacob, “Want to see my new baby sister, sir? She was just born a couple weeks ago.”

“Sure, go get her.”

He ran off; Jacob chuckled.

“He’s one of the kids I had this summer for a survival training course. Smart boy, he was a good leader.”

“He’s very polite.”

“Yeah. I have high hopes for him.”

“I was in Adventure Scouts as a kid, and I loved the survival stuff. If you do it again maybe I could help?”

He gave her a long, appraising look, then nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Here she is!” Pete rounded the corner of the church, baby in arms, “This is Violet. I’m gonna protect her, like you said, be strong for her.”

“I’m sure you will be. She looks real healthy, tell your mom I said congratulations.”

“I will sir.”

Baby Violet was wrapped up in a blanket against the spring chill, but her little feet were in tiny, soft shoes. Rook ran a finger up the sole. The baby slept on. She was still too little to really look more ‘cute’ than ‘squashed,’ but her mitten covered fist was tucked right under her chin.

“She’s absolutely precious.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Are you new to the Project?”

“Not exactly, I’m just, ah, visiting.”

“Oh. Well I hope you liked it. Goodbye, Brother Jacob.”

“Bye, kid.”

The event was winding down. People were folding up chairs and tables to drag them back inside. Rook volunteered herself to help, partly for her innate restlessness, partly to delay the inevitable awkward   
conversation that always came at the end of a date. She had a plan, maybe, sort of. Because even if she was kind of dumped into a group of strangers and interrogated by a lawyer, she still had a pretty good time. Jacob was, apparently, a good cook, and he’d been kinda funny, and hadn’t murdered her, and seemed to be pretty good with kids- it was way too soon to even let that enter her head. Yeah he apparently decided not to tell her it was a potluck, had some extreme beliefs about personal independence, and belonged to a cult, but… There really shouldn’t be a but, right? The cult should be a deal breaker?

They looked so normal, though. There were people she recognized from all over the county and all walks of life, and they looked happy. Nobody looked like they’d been forced to sign away all worldly assets or sacrificed to a bird god or anything. There were lots of weird religious practices in the world. Maybe Hope County was being a little quick to judge. Maybe she’d give them a chance.

Someone touched her arm and she jumped, but it was just Jacob, who was kind of pointedly staring at her, “It was good to see you today.”

“Yeah. It was different than I expected.”

“How so?”

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way… but I didn’t expect John to be the weirdest one.”

Fortunately he didn’t take it the wrong way and laughed instead, a deep, full laugh that made Rook’s stomach do a couple flips.

“Johnny has problems with strangers.”

“Do you want to go out again?” She hadn’t exactly meant to blurt it like that, but once she had and he was already staring at her she plowed on, “We could play paintball.”

“Paintball?”

“I know you’re a marksman and I have to see what I’m up against in the next tournament. Grace already smokes me every year, I can’t handle more competition.”

“I don’t pull a gun for anything less than life or death.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“You’re fine. Sure, I’ll play, just let me know when.”

Satisfied with the answer, she waved again and headed back towards her car.

“And kitten?” Jacob called after her, “I could eat you up in that dress.”

Rook nearly dropped her keys at that growl that implied not so much an eating ‘up’ but a… well… She missed the lock on the door twice.

**Author's Note:**

> Paintball date: Find love, shoot them in the chest. Since I don't know what region my readers are in, kickball is a schoolyard game that's like baseball except instead of hitting the ball with a bat you... kick it. The British call it "Football-Rounders" as just another one of their many, many crimes against the rest of humanity.  
> Jacob did have a lil camp thing for the Cult kids, which I assume was... less intense than the adult version.


End file.
